Communist Environmentalism

Karl Marx set forth the fundamental proposition, which forms the nucleus of the Communist Manifesto:

that consequently the whole history of mankind (since the dissolution of primitive tribal society, holding land in common ownership) has been a history of class struggles, contests between exploiting and exploited, ruling and oppressed classes; that the history of these class stru

Another technology being developed is that of Solid Fuel Blocks, referred to as SFBs, which would allow many to cook using recycled biomass and small amounts of clay, the ash of which can be used in construction as a strong slow-hardening cement, only requiring the ash to be mixed with slaked lime at ordinary temperatures. The blocks themselves produce less smoke than conventional firewood, and cost only $CUP 0.09/kg, which is 34% less than firewood. The technology required to produce these block is cheap enough, a simple enough in operation, that they could be produced by each cooperative individually, with only minimal investment, considering the ready availability of clay. This technology has obvious advantages (low production costs, post combustion use, easy transportation, and production possible by handicapped members of the population), and will undoubtedly be implemented in the very near future.

So what would lead this piece of the communist puzzle to radically change its practices to become more self-sufficient? The impossible: the fall of the Soviet Union and the socialist block in Eastern Europe. This single occurrence caused the entire communist vision to fall apart. No longer could Cuba depend on the inputs from its supporters, no longer could it have access to resources far beyond its borders, no longer could it count on anyone but itself. 1989 was the beginning of the “Special Period.” With hindsight, the most important conceptual aspect revealed by the national economy between 1975 and the beginning of the “Special Period” was that the pattern of extensive growth sowed the seeds of its own destruction. The change from an under-developed nation subsisting from its own economic production and the small amounts of trade with the outside world, to a significant contributor in one of the two divisions of world power, and its subsequent “development”, forced Cuba to adopt new forms of production that placed greater importance on opportunity cost, which took a radically different form once it became part of a greater nation than itself, the communist nation. This “Special Period” became a race against starvation, a race to turn the country inside out and upside down so that it could start producing enough diverse food to feed the entire population, as well as adopting new means of production which would require not only fewer inputs, for they were no longer available, but less machinery and less capital investment that had almost overnight become inexistent. Fortunately, as part of the communist ideal, all education and public health were free, and Cubans had taken advantage of this opportunity with a literacy of 96% and approximately one doctor for every 600 people. The government understanding that their greatest asset left was human resources, established many universities, vocational schools, and research centers so as to maximize their most valuable resource. Today, the number of doctors has increased to one for every 200 people, and electricity has reached 90% of the population (up from 50%). The greatest achievements, however, were in the most important investment into their greatest asset: food production. Due to the collapse of the Soviet Block, and the trade embargo regulations, especially the Burton-Helms Law adopted in 1996, which limited the possible amount of Foreign Direct Investment available to Cuba, it truly became an island with no possibility of help from outside. This led to two major changes in strategy, including emphasis on both efficiency and primary needs. The efficiency was required to provide the primary needs, for no inputs could be used, and food production had to be diversified and increased significantly if the population was to survive. This meant simply the intensive growth of agricultural production, rather than an unavailable extensive growth, was the only possible solution that would bring both efficiency and increased production. These requirements were achi

Some topics in this essay:
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